ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Thyroid Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1514185
This article is part of the Research TopicRadiomics and Artificial Intelligence in Oncology ImagingView all 5 articles
A study on the diagnostic value of artificial intelligence combined with a contrast-enhanced ultrasound scoring system in partially cystic thyroid carcinoma Author s Infor mation
Provisionally accepted
Xiaohui Yan1
qian chen2yuwei Xin3Siege Yuan4
Jingjing Liu1Haiyan Jia1Ya Wen1
Yanjng Zhang1Wen wen Fan1yufang zhao1
Ping Liang5*
Li-ping Liu1*- 1First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- 2Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- 3Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 4Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- 5Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
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The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) scoring system, artificial intelligence (AI) and the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging and Reporting Data System when used by sonographers of different seniority levels individually and in combination for the diagnosis of partial cystic thyroid nodules (PCTNs).A retrospective analysis of conventional ultrasound and CEUS images of enrolled patients was performed, and a CEUS scoring system was established. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of CEUS and AI individually and in combination for diagnosis were compared among sonographers with different seniority levels.A total of 166 nodules (83 benign and 83 malignant) from 152 patients with PCTNs were analysed in this study. Nine CEUS features of PCTNs were observed and summarized; eight of these features differed between the two groups (all p < 0.05) and were included in the CEUS scoring system. CEUS and AI used by junior and senior physicians effectively diagnosed PCTNs. AI improved the diagnostic efficacy of junior physicians. AI assistance combined with CEUS had the best diagnostic efficacy, with an AUC=0.985 for senior physicians and an AUC=0.967 for junior physicians, with no significant difference (P>0.05).The CEUS scoring system established in this study has high diagnostic value for PCTNs. The use of CEUS and AI can improve the diagnostic accuracy of sonographers and improve the prognosis of PCTN patients.
Keywords: Scoring system, ACR TI-RADS, Partial cystic thyroid nodules, artificial intelligence - AI, Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)
Received: 20 Oct 2024; Accepted: 05 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yan, chen, Xin, Yuan, Liu, Jia, Wen, Zhang, Fan, zhao, Liang and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ping Liang, Fifth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100049, Beijing Municipality, China
Li-ping Liu, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
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